This week we have an incredible 40 live music shows in Berkshire County! We don’t know where to begin trying to summarize all the shows, but we will touch on many of them and encourage you to view our full list of events to find the live music performances that will bring you joy.
Jazz
Eleven jazz performances are taking place this week, with two Jazz Festivals underway: The Pittsfield CityJazz series and the Williams College Jazz Festival. The Pittsfield CityJazz series ramps up with a Jazz Prodigy Concert on Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the Berkshire Athenaeum and Emmet Cohen and his Trio playing Sunday at 4:00 pm at the Colonial Theatre.
Williams College jazz festival hosts Syotos, performing as part of their visiting artist series on Thursday at 7:30 pm. On Saturday, Williams is hosting the Terri Lyne Carrington Quartet at 7:30 pm. They wrap up with the Williams Jazz Orchestra on Sunday at 7:30 pm. All shows are free.
Jazz is at a number of other venues, too, including the Lion’s Den, which is hosting the Joe Finn Trio on Wednesday at 5:30 pm as part of their jazz series. Andy Wrba and Josh Bennet are at the Ostrich Room at the Apple Tree Inn on Friday at 8:00 pm. Also, on Friday, the Michael Junkins Duo is playing at 6:00 pm at Gateways Inn in Lenox, and on Saturday night, Gateways is hosting Karen Tchougourian. Finally, you can chill out Sunday morning at 10:00 am for the Domingo Brunch with Michael Aaron at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield or close out Sunday evening with Michael Junkins and Friends at The Lion’s Den at 5:30 pm. We have an incredible opportunity to listen to live jazz music this week in The Berkshires!
Rock, Pop, Folk, Indie, and More
You can catch local Indie performers Mike Duffy & Lindsay Anne at The Stationery Factor on Thursday night at 7:00 pm. Also on Thursday, performing at 7:00 pm at the Lion’s Den is StomBoxTrio, who blends rock, blues, and soul. Local folk-americana singer-songwriter Aimee Van Dyne is at the Egremont Barn at 7:30 pm.
You’ll find many options to rock out on Friday night, including a Tribute to the Velvet Underground at Lion’s Den. Being a huge Lou Reed fan, this is a show we might check out. Will Evans, who spent the last decade as the frontman for the roots-rock band Barefoot Truth, performs at The Stationery Factory in Dalton at 7:30 pm. The rock and blues band The BTUs is playing at the Egremont Barn at 7:30 pm.
For something a bit different, check out Ravyn Lenae, the neo-R&B performer who will be at MASS MoCA at 8:00 pm (pictured above). Listen to one of her recent releases, “Skin Tight” here.
Newly reopened Dream Away Lodge announced their line-up for the next several months. They feature Bobby Sweet w/ Pete Adams and Lara Tupper on Friday night, followed by Morgan O’Kane & Ezekiel Healy on Saturday. Both shows are at 8:00 pm.
Other Saturday evening shows to consider must include É.T.É performing at The Foundry. The trio “offers a contemporary and dynamic vision of traditional Québec music, combining influences from folk, jazz, progressive rock, and classical music on fiddle, cello, bouzouki, voice, foot-tapping and step dancing.” You can listen to them here.
Egremont Barn hosts a triple-bill of Kyle Morgan/Noah Harley/Anthony & Katie at 7:30 pm Saturday, while the Lion’s Den hosts MA-based singer-songwriter Jake Manzi. We saw Jake earlier this spring and enjoyed his memorable melodies. Clare Maloney & The Great Adventures perform at 8:00 pm over at the Ostrich Room at the Apple Tree Inn in Lenox.
Saturday night also features two special events: The Stationery Factory hosts an Annual Benefit Concert with Xtreme Queen, a Queen tribute band. Proceeds for this event will go directly to UPC of Western MA for their underfunded children’s programming, which includes Early Intervention, Neonatal Support, and their Autism Waiver Program.
The second special event is at Shakespeare & Company at 7:30 and features The Berserkshires, with Wanda Houston (vocalist, host), Liv Cummins (singer-songwriter), Benita Zahn (singer-actor). This is a family-friendly show.
We will stop there – but we think you can see why The Berkshires is an incredible destination for seeing live music of all types and genres.